Ken Levine Unveils New Judas Details and Dynamic 'Villainy' System
Renowned game designer Ken Levine, best known for his work on the iconic BioShock series, has partnered with PlayStation Blog to offer a deeper look into the highly anticipated first-person, story-driven action game, Judas. Since its announcement, many gamers have dubbed Judas a potential 'BioShock killer,' and these new revelations from Levine and his studio, Ghost Story Games, offer intriguing insights into its ambitious design.
Levine began by acknowledging the lengthy silence from the development team, apologizing for the lack of recent updates. He assured fans that Ghost Story Games plans to communicate more frequently in the future, transitioning to a more direct approach through developer diaries.
“We know, we know… it’s been a while since we’ve chatted. Making marketing materials like trailers takes a lot of time and effort, and we’re trying to focus all our efforts on finishing Judas,” Levine stated. “But we also miss the days of having a more direct relationship with you, the gamers, and so we thought, ‘Why not start publishing dev diaries?’ With them, we hope to talk to you more often and share new details of what we’re working on, without revealing too many specifics. The goal is to keep things casual – meaning, to release updates more frequently than before, but not necessarily with polished trailers and perfectly processed images. (Though there will be more of those too!)”
The first of these materials centers on Judas's innovative, non-linear 'villainy' system, a mechanic that bears a strong resemblance to the patented Nemesis system seen in the *Middle-earth: Shadow* series.
The Core Narrative: A Ship in Crisis
To understand this system, it's essential to recall the game's premise. Judas tells the story of an engineer named Judas, the sole human survivor aboard the ark ship 'Mayflower.' Following a catastrophic asteroid collision, the original human occupants perished, replaced by robots who are completely unaware of their true origins. The nightmare truly begins when Judas reveals this unsettling truth to them.
Now, the protagonist must navigate a complex dynamic with three main antagonists, each possessing distinct goals and, paradoxically, each requiring her assistance. These three figures are prominently featured in the new key art, positioned below the main character.
- Tom: The Security Chief. Despite the chaos, Tom remains steadfast in his resolve to continue the Mayflower's mission to colonize the planet Proxima Centauri with humans.
- Nefertiti: The Biologist. She is driven by a desire to forge a new civilization of robots, free from what she perceives as the inherent flaws of humanity.
- Hope: The Existentialist. Suffering from a profound existential crisis, Hope seeks to put an end to all the suffering of this 'pseudo-life.'
A Dynamic World of Shifting Loyalties
The 'villainy' system in Judas dynamically alters the central antagonist based on the player's choices and who they decide to support. This sets it apart from more traditional narratives.
“‘Villainy’ is a central feature of Judas. When you play BioShock or BioShock Infinite, the villain always remains the same. Fontaine, Comstock – they will always be the bad guys. Meanwhile, in Judas, your actions will attract members of the ‘Big Three’ as potential allies, but if you ignore any of them, that character will become a villain. After that, they will gain access to a new set of functions that will hinder your actions in achieving your goals.
…Ultimately, you'll have to decide who you will help, and who you will eventually push away,” Levine explained.
These antagonists directly influence gameplay. For instance, an angered Hope might betray your location to enemies, Nefertiti could sabotage a healing station, or Tom might attempt to bribe Judas with powerful weapons. Levine openly credits the Nemesis system as a direct inspiration:
“One of my favorite games of all time is Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which stands out due to its unique gameplay with the Nemesis system. This system allows you to build small relationships with several orcs. The drawback of the Nemesis system is that there are many orcs, so the developers didn’t have the opportunity to turn them into full-fledged characters. Meanwhile, in Judas, you will get to know these characters more intimately. We want the loss of one of them to feel like losing a friend. We want to play with this dynamic and make choices as difficult as possible.”
Levine further elaborated on the complex relationships in Judas:
“The ‘Big Three’ will fight for your favor and attention. They can bribe you, save you in combat, say nasty things about other characters, and share their darkest secrets with you. But, in the end, it’s up to you to decide who you trust and who you don't. In BioShock Infinite, much attention was paid to developing your relationship with Elizabeth. By the end of the game, you knew everything about her: her abilities, hopes, and dreams. But the truth is, she knew almost nothing about you, the gamer playing as Booker. In Judas, the ‘Big Three’ observe your gameplay, and they have their own thoughts not only on how you approach combat, hacking, and crafting, but also, most importantly, on your interaction with the other two characters.”
Ghost Story Games conducted extensive testing of the 'villainy' system, allowing new players to experience the feature firsthand. Levine noted that this testing provided valuable feedback, particularly concerning the impact of player decisions, the influence of character motivations, and how moments of help or betrayal from the 'Big Three' shaped subsequent choices.
Release Information
Judas is currently in development for PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. A release date has not yet been announced, and currently, English is listed as the only supported language.
These detailed insights into Judas's 'villainy' system paint a picture of a game deeply committed to player choice and dynamic storytelling. Gamers can look forward to a narrative where their decisions truly matter, creating a personalized and emotionally resonant experience with memorable characters.
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